While we can measure time by the completion of the Earth in its orbit around the Sun, 365.25
days, or by the rotation of the Earth once in 24 hours giving us the 24 hour day, we measure
the day by a division of it into 24 equal units we call the hour because the ancient Sumerians
divided the day from sunrise to sunset into 12 hours because they could measure time in the
day by the Sun’s position in the sky as determined by a shadow cast by it on the ground that
moves through 12 divisions in a day, each division called an hour. 12 hours are then added on
for the night from sunset to sunrise, so we have the 24 hour day from sunrise to sunrise, or
sunset to sunset. But why choose 12 divisions which gives us the duration of the hour? I
believe the reason is because 12 is the first abundant number. An abundant number means it is
divisible evenly by so many integers preceding it, that their sum is greater than the number
itself. That is,12 is evenly divisible by 1,2,3,4,6 which is greater than 12:!
1+2+3+4+6=16>12!
There is more reason to choose 12 and that is what it is divisible by. Firstly it is divisible by the
two smallest primes 2 and 3, the factors by which no integer can by reduced to further. 2 times
3 is 6 and 12 is evenly divisible by 6 and 6 is of primary importance in mathematics in that the
six-sided regular polygon, the regular hexagon, has its radii equal in lengths to it sides,
something, for one thing, that makes it easy as a tool for computing pi ( ) the ratio of the
circumference of a circle to its diameter. This because inscribed in a circle it approximates the
circle, meaning its perimeter of six, if each side is taken as one, gives its diameter is two,
meaning is close to six divided by two is three. Further twelve is evenly divisible by 4, and the
four-sided square is one of the regular polygons that tessellate meaning the square can tile a
surface without leaving gaps. This makes it suitable for a coordinate system to specify a point
in the plane or space. Such a coordinate system is the first we learn of in school, and is the
most used, in fact other coordinate systems are defined in terms of it like spherical systems
where the angle is measured from a set of rectangular axes.!
The other two regular polygons that tesselate are the equilateral triangle and our regular
hexagon.!
The Sumerians use a base 60 (sexagesimal) counting system because 60 is evenly divisible by
so much as well:!
1,2,3,4,5,6,10, 12, 15, 20, 30!
Making it an abundant number as well, it adds up to 108, which is much greater than 60. It is
important to have 5 because in the regular pentagon it determines the golden ratio, phi ( ),
which is recurrent throughout Nature. Life more often meets up with 5-fold symmetry, like a
starfish with five arms, a human with two legs, two arms, and a head, or five fingers on each
hand. The physical more often meets up with six-fold symmetry, like in the points on a
snowflake. We then have our base unit of one second comes from dividing our day into 24
hours and each of those hours into 60 minutes, and each of those minutes into 60 seconds.
Thus the unit of a second comes to us from the ancient Sumerians, but I find the unit of a
second is a natural constant for the the atom and the solar system. !
So we have to ask did ancient aliens give the Sumerians their method of measuring time with
the 24 hour day, and base 60 sexagesimal counting. Indeed, they were the first to settle down
from hunting with stone spearpoint and following the herds to invent agriculture, architecture,
mathematics, and writing and their myths say they were given this knowledge from “Those who
came from the above”. !